You are here

History

Trust and Go Forward

Glen Urquhart School evolved from the commitment of a group of parents, led by Lynne and David Warren, to create a school where children would be stimulated to learn for its own sake because the process would engage them physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

Established in 1977 as North Shore Middle School in a local church, Glen Urquhart School took residence on the former 23-acre Orchidvale Estate in Beverly Farms in 1982. Here, where Albert Burrage had raised thousands of varieties of orchids in 28 greenhouses, the buildings and grounds were transformed into a vibrant place of learning. In concert with the founding vision for the school, the boundaries between inside and out were virtually erased by large windows with views to the natural world.

When the school moved to the former Orchidvale property, it adopted its present name, Glen Urquhart School, to honor the family legacy of the school's founders. The school chose the Scottish surname of Urquhart and combined it with "glen," the word for a green, shady place (replacing the word "vale" in the property's former name), creating the name Glen Urquhart.

The school’s motto, "Meane Weil. Speak Weil. Doe Weil.," taken from the clan of Urquhart in Scotland, expresses the values promoted in the school every day. "Trust and go forward" is the Urquhart clan battle cry and provides inspriration for our community. Both phrases appear in our school song. (Castle Urquhart on Loch Ness is pictured above.)

Today, Glen Urquhart, affectionately known as GUS, has approximately 200 students from 25 towns and cities on the North Shore of Boston. Our teaching continues to be informed by a commitment to knowledge, creativity, and character.